Jack Daniels
by Nyxelestia
Summary: Alex's thoughts at Jack and Ben's wedding. His toast to the happy couple. His dance with the bride. His thoughts on the past few years. And, of course, his mockery that Jack's new name is now a whiskey. Part 1 of my Jack Daniels series.


**A/N:**** Jack and Ben's Wedding…came into my head in the middle of my shower…also posted as a birthday give to JK Mafia.  
**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and the groom have prepared their own vows for this special occasion."

Alex smiled as Ben and Jack turned form the judge before them to each other. The glow on Jack's face truly came from within, today, and it only grew brighter as Ben swallowed rather nervously and started talking.

"Jack…I could give some speech about having been with me through the toughest and softest of times – which you have…or a great friend and more – which you have…or even something stupid as being an amazing cook – which you are…even if you hate cooking."

A round of laughter through the congregation behind Alex.

"But," he said. "You know I'll just be pulling most of that right out of every other romance movie out there with a wedding scene in it…and I'm not a man of many words. So I'll just say this: I love you. You're the one I want to see me off when I have to leave for my…job…" hinting there making sense to only a few in the congregation, most of both of their families now knowing Ben's true jobs (or Alex's, or, to a certain extent, even Jacks'). "And you're the one I want to come home to."

Another swallow. "I love you…I don't know if I'll ever be able to say that enough, but I'll try my best to do so."

He took a ring from the fancy pillow in Alex's hands, playing ring bearer for the day, and slipped it carefully onto Jack's finger.

"Eternal love, never ending, all the usual. But really, Jack – this ring is us. What's between us – no beginning, no end, always running. And staying."

She smiled as she looked right into Ben's eyes.

"Ben…when I first met you…well, God, I almost hated you. But ever since then, you've shown me a different side of you. A sweeter side. A side that'll look after those I care about…be there when I need you, regardless of where in the world you are. You've never been overbearing, never ignored me. Always knew what to say and what to do. Probably why you got hired in the first place. Sweetheart, I want to go to bed seeing that gorgeous face, and wake up to it. Maybe not every morning, but certainly most."

Another swallow, and a smile from Alex in support as she took a deep breath.

"I want to be there for you, and for you to be there for me, forever – long as possible."

Now she took the ring from the pillow and slipped it onto Ben's finger. "Ditto to you, babe. Eternal love, never ending, no end, no beginning. And stuck in place, you hear? So I'm always with you, wherever you are."

Alex, Ben, and Wolf – Ben's best man – were probably the only ones who saw the borderline tears well up in Jack's face. None of them would _ever_ comment on it.

A few more generic words, and the much awaited, "You may now kiss the bride!"

With that, Ben, of course, had to do it dramatically – he didn't just lean forward and kiss her, he swung her around, both of them bending, doing a salsa-style kiss right out of a stupid romance movie.

Definitely more to their style.

And it wasn't a tame kiss, either.

Both of them swung back up as the kiss ended, turning to the cheering crowd, the judge's words lost amidst the melee as the now happily-wed couple walked down the aisle in a traditional fashion, waving and laughing and _not_ crying as they headed for the limo, giggle madly under the flying rice.

Sharing a quiet, almost hidden look with Wolf, Alex smiled a little knowingly, and both of them smiled a little affectionately at the couple they'd watch through thick and thin for the last three years.

* * *

_Ting-ting-ting-ting-ting…_

Alex stood up as it became his turned to give the toast.

"Well," he said, after a moment. "I'll admit, when Jack and Ben first started dating, I wasn't expecting to stand here, just two months after my seventeenth birthday, at their wedding. Actually, I was expecting to stand at one of their funerals by now. The only question would be who."

More laughter went around.

"But, I'm happy that it's a wedding, instead. I don't know how, but these two make each other happy. One's my honorary sister, and the other is a good friend, so happiness for them both is all I can ask for."

He suddenly smirked. "Not to mention, now, Jack is a whiskey…lovely lady Jack Daniels…"

Even more laughter around the reception hall, as Ben groaned with good humor and Jack flushed.

"But, I'll save the mockery for after the honeymoon. Hopefully, they'll be too…er, 'tired' to try and strangle me when I start the mockery again."

More laughter, both for the joke, and the looks on a few younger faces as Alex's humor was rather lost on them.

"So…well, we've got about a hundred more vows to go around, so I'll just shut up now, and raise my glass…" he did, in fact, raise his glass. "To Ben and his Whiskey bride!"

A mock glare from the couple and a snort from Wolf, the rest of the crowd laughing but raising their glasses. "To Ben and Jack!"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, please clear the floor as the bride shares a special dance with her father…"

Alex smiled lazily from his seat right by the floor as Jack and Mr. Starbright started twirling around the floor, Jack's simple but gorgeous and elegant dress swirling, in a way right out a heavily doctored romance movie.

"Enjoying the view?"

Alex smirked a little as Ben took a seat beside him.

"Yea – she looks…bliss, I guess."

Ben just smiled.

Then Alex caught the look on his face.

"Okay, Ben, what do you want to say?"

He took a deep breath, looking almost as nervous as he had when giving his vows.

"I…we…Cub, our jobs…we're given very low life expectancies for a reason. Both of us. And Jack's close to both of us. You're like her little brother…and now, I'm her _husband_."

Alex slowly nodded.

"I just…if I ever go on a mission and don't come back – I just need you to take care of her. Like, take a bloody _year_ off from the job and take care of her."

He smiled.

"I was planning on saying the same to you, actually," Alex said.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Well…yea…"

Alex took a deep breath, looking back out at Jack, who was laughing as the music changed to some tango type thing she and her dad were now goofing off with.

"She's braver than both of us put together, mate," Alex said. "She's half adopting one MI6 agent, and marrying another. Both of us have low life expectancies, both of us are reckless on the job, both of us keep getting put in so fucking many dangerous situations…she's setting herself up for loss and grief, mate…not to mention, knowing just one of use puts her at high risk for hostage situations and kidnapping…but two? One weak link, two agents…she's a kidnapper's dream…but she's still sticking with us. For us. _Because_ of us…"

Ben nodded in agreement. "Both of combined, indeed."

He paused.

"We need to protect her, Cub…" he said, watching as her dad went to sit down, his place being taken by Jack's twin bother Jake.

"You think I don't know that?" Alex said with a frown. "Why do you think I gave her a gun? Why-"

"Do _you_ think I taught her how to shoot?"

Alex sighed. "Not to mention all the martial arts lessons between us…the weapons hidden around the house…"

Ben nodded vaguely.

"I know…but what's going to happen when one of us dies? She'll be devastated…the other one can't die…"

Alex watched as Jack laughed as she and her brother started doing some childhood hip-hop routine, looking ridiculous in a gown and tux.

"We both have a lot of money now, right?" Alex asked, turning back to look at him. Ben nodded, and Alex turned back to the center floor. "Good enough that not working for a while wouldn't be a problem – and we just keep saving. So we'll likely have a lot if we die now, and likely have a lot at our expected time of death, yea?"

"Yes…"

"Let's make a deal: which ever one of us dies first, the other one has to take at least three years off, from spying, to take care of Jack."

Ben nodded. "I can accept that…though, what happens when you get married, one day?"

Alex smiled a little sadly. "C'mon, Ben…that's probably not going to happen. I love women and all, but I'm just not a man of commitment. Probably not going to happen."

"Even if you don't get married…you'll be close to _someone_…"

Alex switched his gaze from the growing crowd of dancers to Jack, specifically, now sharing a dance with the maid of honor, and her best friend since she moved to England.

"I already am."

"You know what I mean, Cub…"

Alex sighed. "I know…and if I become as close to someone else as you are to Jack…well, I'll cross that bride when I get there. But until then…one of us dies, the other takes a few years off?"

Ben nodded.

"Deal."

* * *

"May I share this dance?" Alex said, with a bow, towards Jack. Laughing, she nodded and took his outstretched hand, like a lady would a gentleman, and he lead her to the floor, taking on his perfect dancing stance for a waltz, moving in slow circles.

"You know, Jack," he said. "Despite me mocking you in my toast…I did mean it. After all the shit you've gone through because of me, I'm glad to see you just _happy_."

She smiled sadly yet again.

"Alex…please, don't blame yourself for all of that."

He smiled.

"For tonight, I won't."

She nodded in acceptance.

After a moment, she leaned her head against his lightly-muscled chest. At eighteen, he held the mind of man past retirement, the charisma of a child, and a body that of someone just a year or two younger.

"I remember when you used to do this to me," she said quietly. "Lean into my chest. When you got that stupid flu, when you were eight? God, it was horrible…such a bad strain…you were crying in pain for your head…"

Alex smiled, fondly remembering Jack staying up with him all night, cradling him and rocking him back and forth, keeping close by, and even staying by him when the illness got bad enough to warrant a visit to the hospital.

"And now, looky here…you're taller than _me_…if only by about three or four inches…"

He rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, both of them now just swaying to the music as she reminisced their memories together.

"…and then, I just damn near have a panic attack…" she mumbled, remembering the attack just a few months back, a week before Ben proposed to her in the first place. "Some help I was…"

Sensing the down turn in her thought process, Alex leaned down, pushing her face up at him.

"Please, Jack…no matter what, you're family. I love you, all right? Don't blame yourself. You did great, that night-"

"Alex, you were practically _stabbed-_"

"A half-inch deep gash in the leg is not a stab wound. I'm dancing now, aren't I?"

She smiled a little sadly again.

"It just…it hurts me to see you lot hurt so much…"

Alex nodded. "Ben and I already decided you were braver than both of us put together, choosing to care for us both when it was almost guaranteed to kill you inside, one day."

She nodded silently, leaning her head against his chest again, him pressing his chin on top of her head, remembering when she used to do the same to him when he was just a little younger…

"I'm going to miss you one day, probably?"

"…probably," Alex answered honestly.

"And then I'll lose you both…"

"No…you won't. Ben and I have a deal for that. We'll take care of you, I promise…"

She nodded, him feeling it more than seeing it.

"But what can I do for you two?"

He smiled again, despite the fact that she couldn't see it. "Same thing you've always done. Be there for us. Let us cry in front of you. Have a couch and platter of comfort food waiting for us…keep yourself safe. It's been working for years, now…"

She shook her head. "But that's _all_ I can do-"

"And it's more than enough," he said. "You've saved our lives with that, Jack. When you spend weeks constantly on the run, your live depending on lying and keeping your mouth shut and just gritting your teeth and bearing it all…it's such a relief to come home and be able to unload and cry and everything, without shame or fear…you _have_ saved our lives, Jack, in more ways and more times than you can imagine…"

She sighed. "Do you know how rehearsed that sounded?"

"I swear, I was making that up as I went along…but it's all true, I swear, Jack. You're better than any shrink I was supposed to get from MI6 and never did."

Another head shake, done in sad humor.

"I just wish there was more I could do…"

"Trust me, Jack…what you do is more than enough. Please, don't change that…"

She turned back to look up at him, smiling. "Fine. I will…if you promise to come back home in one piece, all right? Both of you, Ben and you…"

Alex smiled. "I'll do my best, all right?"

"I suppose in your line of work, that's good enough."

Alex grinned a little, before glancing out at the tables behind her.

"C'mon, Jack…your husband's waiting…"

"Preemptive strike for all the waiting I know I'll have to do…"

Alex just smiled as he led her back to the table, mentally vowing to keep to that promise. He loved Jack, being his only family left, and he wasn't going to hurt her, anymore.

That much, he would do.

* * *

**A/N:**** Tell me what you think?**


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